Yesterday I met with a good friend, Terry, who is Executive Director of International Justice Mission (UK). IJM is a growing human rights organisation that investigates and provides legal help for victims of injustice in many parts of the world. In many places, poverty excludes people from the justice systems that are available – IJM deals with cases of slavery, abuse, land grabbing, exploitation and state injustice against its citizens.

I’m glad to have been able to put him in touch with a few people locally who have skills or experience to offer.

I’ve worked with Terry before on some projects he was overseeing with Churches Together in Britain and Ireland as a ‘mission accompanier’. These kinds of friendships are so helpful – I admit I’d probably be at a loss to know what to do if we swapped jobs (and I’m not sure how keen Terry would be to take on schools work in Colchester!)

Our shared observation is that issues of justice, particularly on a global scale, are a major concern to young people and the rising generation of twenty-somethings who are filling our churches and are increasingly active in stirring up awareness and doing what they can to bring about change.

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4 Responses to IJM

It was nice to hear about IJM. I would like to know how does one prevent these organisations that help uphold human rights from abusing the human rights of the people who work for them???
Can the gaurdians of Human Rights also become the abusers of it also?

It was nice to hear about IJM. I would like to know how does one prevent these organisations that help uphold human rights from abusing the human rights of the people who work for them???
Can the gaurdians of Human Rights also become the abusers of it also?

Si,
You have a valid point. However, any organisation that works for a noble aim whilst denying that very aim in its internal structures and practice is ultimately doomed. As Jesus said, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.” It is sadly not difficult to find occasional examples of organisations torn apart by a lack of integrity.
Jesus said that peope would be known by the fruit of their lives, for good or bad. I can’t speak directly for IJM, but their main site, http://www.ijm.org has extensive information about their work and their way of working, with examples from around the world, and includes a very helpful faq page. It would be strange indeed to discover that their principle of working for justice and against oppression only applies to those outside the organisation. I am not aware of any evidence to support a view that they perpetrate injustice against their own staff.

Si,
You have a valid point. However, any organisation that works for a noble aim whilst denying that very aim in its internal structures and practice is ultimately doomed. As Jesus said, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.” It is sadly not difficult to find occasional examples of organisations torn apart by a lack of integrity.
Jesus said that peope would be known by the fruit of their lives, for good or bad. I can’t speak directly for IJM, but their main site, http://www.ijm.org has extensive information about their work and their way of working, with examples from around the world, and includes a very helpful faq page. It would be strange indeed to discover that their principle of working for justice and against oppression only applies to those outside the organisation. I am not aware of any evidence to support a view that they perpetrate injustice against their own staff.